


Lonely Universe

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkward cuddles, Gen, There's a lot of tears, and emotion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 16:15:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7764559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith isn't always strong. Neither is he.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lonely Universe

**Author's Note:**

> this isn't really much, I just apparently enjoy making these two sad for no reason haha. I wasn't going to write this, but then I decided to do it. This wasn't beta'd and I wrote t at one in the morning, so if there's anything wrong, please tell me and I'll fix it!  
> I hope you enjoy!

Lance had always seen Keith as a strong person. He never wavered in his actions, he never faltered in how he felt, never ceased to say whatever was on his mind. Lance had thought of Keith as the shining example of what a paladin should be, not like how Lance was when he cursed his title and his role in the universe because he just wanted to go home or he was just tired or the impending idea of death loomed over his head a bit too closely. Keith never seemed to stray his thoughts from the mission- _the mission_. So when this, this pattern, starts happening a few cycles after Lance had woken up from his coma, he was surprised to see that Keith wasn't _always_ strong. He was surprised to see the burning tumult of emotions under the shell Keith hid in.

It wasn't often, but Lance can't count the amount of times it's occurred on his hands anymore, and that scared him. Keith couldn't stay strong, so Lance had to pick up his slack, keep up the mask that Lance had no doubt that Keith had on for so long.

The night illuminated the shaking figure on Lance's floor in pristine detail. Keith's entire form was shivering and convulsing with his quiet sobs. This wasn't the first time that Lance found Keith like this, it still effected Lance the same heart-wrenching way. It was horrible, watching every part of one of your closest companions break apart before you. Lance always felt like he should walk away when this happened, like he didn't deserve to see Keith like this. This weakened version of the strong man Lance knew he was made him feel weak himself. Lance never knew of any concrete way to make Keith better in his moments of pain, he was simply pulled into his torrent of emotions with the red paladin.

Sometimes, it was anger. Keith would sob and spit out rage fueled rants about his past. The foster homes that treated him like a prize, like a tool, like a ways to get out of taxes for a year or so. He would cry and look at lance and scream. Why did they do that? Why? Lance kept quiet until his throat became scratchy and quiet, then he would reach his arms out to Keith. Lance felt some satisfaction in being able to hold his friend when he couldn't hold himself, but the tears, the yelling, the pleading, it made Lance's chest twist up. He realized just how useless he was in helping Keith.

It was just quiet, other times. Keith would let himself into Lance's room and crawl next to him in bed. He'd muffle his sobs in Lance's shoulder. Try to hide himself in Lance. No matter how late it was or how little of sleep he would get, Lance would hold him through it, hum and say stupid little things to get Keith to laugh or just stop crying. Lance felt more in control those moments, he felt like he actually made a difference.

Either way, they would wake up groggily the next moment, tired still and looking like absolute shit. They'd clean themselves up in Lance's bathroom, and then stumble out in search of some semblance of food on the Castle.

This, this wasn't either of those. This wasn't the expected burst of emotion of the red paladin. This was Keith. Bare and broken-walled Keith. This wasn't his coping mechanisms. This was his all consuming pain.

"Keith, get up." This wasn't anything Lance knew how to take care of. Lance had no idea how to do this. Keith just looks up at Lance with that face covered in tears an snot and it's so pitiful and sad that it makes Lance's entire being ache to know how to help him, but Lance just feels so tired that he doesn't think he can do this. Doesn't think he can be that sturdy for Keith.

" _Keith_ ," Lance tries to sound stern and ignore the waver in his voice, "Get. Up."

Keith's body convulses with a sob and his shivering knees buckle when he tries to move to stand. He looks like everything Lance has always feared. Looks like everything Lance has tried to avoid and push out of himself to prevent from happening. Looks like all of Lance's sorrow and pain that he's been holding back for cycles upon cycles.

His body quivers, "Keith, get the fuck up." Keith sobs again, hard and so raw it physically hurts Lance. He manages to stand now, though he leans heavily on Lance. Leans on him like a life-line. Keith's nails dig into the back of Lance's neck and shoulder as he tries and fails to steady himself, opting to just trust Lance. The blue paladin holds him up as securely as he can. Pulling Keith in close and hiding his face in the crook of the other's shoulder. Lance pretends not to notice the hot tears that roll down his cheeks.

"L-Lance," he coughs out, wet sobs sticking in his throat, "I want to go ho-home. I- I can't do this-"

"It's okay," he whispers gently, his gut twisting with the thought of _home,_  "We're going to go back to Earth one day and we'll all be alive and ready for when it comes."

Keith chokes out a curt, "N-no." He struggles to breathe slowly as he rushed his words out, "I don't- I don't have a home there, Lance."

Lance listens to the best of his ability, pushing thoughts of _his mother and his family and his home_ out of his mind. Thinking about Keith and his shitty life he had on Earth, and how he obviously wouldn't think of it first. "This-" Keith clings tighter, the frantic thrumming of his heart is fluttering next to Lance's ear, grounding him, "-is my home. _You_ , and Shiro, Pidge, Hunk, Allura, Coran."

Keith lets out something close to a whine as he brakes off his choked words with a dry sob, "What am I going to do if I loose all of you? You're- You're all that I have. Here is home and- and I just don't know what I'm going to do, Lance."

Lance let's the tears drip from his eyes freely, no longer caring if Keith sees that Lance isn't the steady thing that Keith can hold onto. Not caring that Keith sees he's just as weak and scared as he is. "What you're going to do-" Lance laughs wetly, "is come to my home, and Hunk's home, and Pidge's home, and Shiro's home and we're gonna make sure you know you belong on that damn planet. We're gonna make sure you know you're home."

Lance slowly stumbles toward his small bed and allows for his knees to give out, Keith, as if he only had Lance holding him, followed limply. They lay in a crumpled heap, their elbows jabbing awkwardly for a moment and try to laugh at how awful they both look; snot faced and puffy-eyed, but it only sounds strained. They pull each other close, foreheads bumping and it's gross because they're sweaty and still crying, but it's more comforting than anything at this point.

"My family would love you," Lance speaks softly, "My mama would think you were positively adorable, a little, angry kid that's a big softie on the inside."

"I am not a softie," Keith's voice is scratchy, but gentle. Lance thinks he sounds like his little siblings when they were tired, but adamant on staying awake- little faces puckered up and eyes glazed and drooping. Lance swallows around the next round of tears prickling at his eyes, blurring the face in front of him. Lance decides that Keith's altogether too different from Milagro or Cloe or Mateo to really remind him of them. Keith's cheeks are too pale and fluster too fast, his lips are more of a constant frown, his eyes are almond and the color too blue. Lance thinks that his sibling's cuteness is something unopposed, until he really looks at Keith. Lance pinches his cheek fondly, eyes staring unfocused at the dark color of his eyes- trying to decide if it's really blue or _purple_ in those eyes.

"You really are," Lance can't help but laugh, and Keith's face cringes at the hot puffs of air that dry his trails of tears and tickle his nose. Keith makes some slight choking noise that vaguely concerns Lance, "What?"

"You're breath smells like cycle-old food goop," Then Keith is laughing, little relieved pants that brush against Lance similarly and make the tension in his body ease.

"Oh god, really?" Lance tries to hold in his chuckle, but Keith's tired, breathy giggles drag his own out. Keith scrunches up his face more and laughs harder and so does Lance. Keith is nodding and it's banging their foreheads together somewhat painfully and Lance is trying to not breathe on Keith, but it's hard when they're so close.

"I'm sorry, cariño," Lance is drifting asleep and subconsciously curling closer to Keith, his laughter trailing off. Keith is so warm, has he always been this warm? Logically yes, but Lance's higher thought process isn't quite working as of right now, so he sticks to attempting to mold himself into Keith. The other lays like a comfortable dead weight on Lance, Keith's arm slung over his shoulder and a hand tangled with Lance's between them.

"Lance?"

"Yeah?" he slurs, only half his mind focusing on Keith's sleepy voice.

"It's okay if you cry, too."

 

Lance falls asleep with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.


End file.
